The Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) has officially commenced the online counselling process for NEET UG 2026 admissions under the 15 per cent All India Quota (AIQ) from Wednesday. The counselling process will facilitate admissions to MBBS, BDS and BSc Nursing programmes across government and participating institutions, including 100 per cent seats in deemed universities, AIIMS and JIPMER campuses.
The counselling will be conducted entirely online in four phases, followed by an online stray vacancy round to fill any remaining seats.
Counselling Covers AIQ, AIIMS, JIPMER and Deemed Universities
The MCC counselling process will be conducted for:
- 15% All India Quota (AIQ) seats in government medical and dental colleges.
- 100% seats in deemed universities.
- All seats in AIIMS institutions.
- All seats in JIPMER campuses at Puducherry and Karaikal.
- BSc Nursing admissions at participating institutions.
Candidates who qualified in NEET UG 2026 can participate in the online counselling process as per the eligibility criteria prescribed by the MCC.
One-Time Physical Reporting Introduced
In a major relief for students, the MCC has introduced a new rule from this year’s counselling process.
Candidates will now be required to physically report to their allotted institution only once during the entire admission process.
The move is expected to reduce the inconvenience and expenses associated with repeated visits to colleges during multiple counselling rounds.
Round 1 Schedule
According to the official counselling calendar, the Round 1 schedule is as follows:
- Registration and fee payment: August 5 to August 12 (up to 3:00 PM)
- Choice filling and locking: August 6 to August 13
- Seat allotment processing: August 13 to August 16
- Round 1 result declaration: August 17
- Reporting to allotted institutes: August 18 to August 22
Candidates are advised to carefully fill and lock their preferred choices before the deadline, as seat allotment will be based on NEET rank, preferences submitted and seat availability.
Round 2 Schedule
The Round 2 counselling process will begin later in August with the following timeline:
- Registration: August 25 to August 29
- Choice filling and locking: Up to August 30
- Seat allotment processing: August 31 and September 1
- Result declaration: September 2
Candidates who are not allotted a seat in Round 1, or those seeking an upgrade, will be eligible to participate in subsequent rounds as per MCC guidelines.
Four-Phase Counselling Process
The NEET UG 2026 counselling will be conducted in four rounds, followed by an online stray vacancy round to fill vacant seats after the completion of the regular counselling process.
The online system has been designed to ensure a transparent and efficient admission process for undergraduate medical, dental and nursing courses across participating institutions.
Candidates are advised to regularly check the MCC counselling portal for updates regarding schedules, seat matrices, allotment results and reporting instructions.
